You don’t have to be an engineer, modeler or artist to appreciate the intricate and time-consuming work displayed at the museum.

The Joe Martin Foundation Craftsmanship Museum was created in 2006 and recently moved to its present Carlsbad location. Joe Martin, who founded the museum and the Joe Martin Foundation for Exceptional Craftsmanship, fell in love with the model plane hobby as a boy and never lost interest. Currently, the owner of Sherline Products, which sells machine shop tools for industrial and home use, he chose to build the museum to give back to the craftsmanship community.

Enjoyed by engineers, car enthusiasts, modelers, machinists, clockmakers, children, adults and anyone who respects precision, the Joe Martin Foundation Craftsmanship Museum has close to 300 engine models that all are capable of running. This museum is a shrine for all craftsmen around the world.

Many of the models on display are based off very low production items. Visitors will find miniature models of two-, four-, six- and eight-cylinder engines, steam engines, stationary engines, trains, cars, racing engines, boats, airplane engines, motorcycle engines, pistols, heavy construction equipment, shovels, clocks, car body molds, cameras and machine shops. There is a model of a V12 Ferrari engine, a John Deere farm engine, a Norden Bombsight made in WWII for the U.S., a violin, a rotor mechanism for a helicopter, a high-wire clown bike, a Ford Model A engine from 1928 and a Chevy small block V-8 engine.

Especially unique is a large custom wall clock at the back of the museum (near the museum’s machine shop) that uses gravity to work, a 1/92 scale of the German battleship Bismark and a showcase filled with delicate models made from incredibly thin, photo-etched bass sheet.

At the back of the museum, there is a row of steam engine models that use air for power.

The museum’s machine shop repairs and cleans the donated or loaned models. Volunteers at the machine shop are building their third miniature car engine — a V-8. The machine shop welcomes anyone interested in volunteering.